a.Mirror the Madness- World War II confronted us with unanswerable
questions-Irrational Destruction- Individuals responsibility- How could genocide
be explained- Theatre during the era of the World Wars mirrored the general
unrest- Theatrical Movements defined by their relationship to emerging
political, social, economic ideologies. Artist who rebelled against the popular
theatre (Realism).

a.Expressionist Drama-The term expressionism (France) Style of painting-
Developed further in Germany as a Movement in Art and Litrature and then a
Movement in Theatre/Germany at about the time of World War I, characterized by
the attempt to dramatize subjective states through distortion, striking and
often grotesque images, and lyric, unrealistic dialogue. The representation of
reality is distorted to communicate inner feelings. Dramatic action seen through
the eyes of the protagonist. Plays journey through incidents – not casually
related. Distort the normal, sometimes dreamlike. Characters are representative
types: Man, Woman, Clerk / Movement is politically motivated: Supports Socialist
Causes. Themes: Dehumanization of the individual by society and the
deterioration of the family. In its pure form, the expressionist movement was
short-lived but many expressionistic techniques found their way into the
mainstream of modern theater.

c.Futurism-originated in Italy in 1909. Unlike the expressionist, the
futurists idealized war and the machine age. They attacked artistic ideals of
the past, ridiculing them as “museum art” and arguing that new forms had to be
created for new eras. They sought a “synthetic” theater of short, seemingly
illogical dramatic pieces and argued against the separation of performers and
audience, they also believed that audiences should be confronted and
antagonized. Use of Electronic media, puppets, machinery and visual arts.
Example: Marinetti’s “They’re Coming” (actors play servants and rearrange
furniture.

d.Dada-Movement in art between the world wars, based on presenting the
irrational and attacking traditional artistic values. Dada, which originated in
Switzerland in 1916, was a short-lived movement that never really caught on.
Reacting against World War I, dadaists argued that art should mirror the madness
of the world. Like the futurists, the railed against museum art and wanted to
confuse and antagonize their audiences. Unlike the futurists they were not
concerned with glorifying war of machines.

e.Surrealism-an outgrowth of dada, began in 1924. One of its major
exponents wa Andre’ Breton and its center was France. Surrealists argued that
the suconcious is the highest plane of reality and attempted to re-create its
workings dramatically. Many of their plays seem to be set in a dream world,
mixing recognizable and fantastic events.

IV.Antirealistic Theorists:

a.Theatre of Cruelty

i.Antonin Artaud

b.Epic Theatre-Form of episodic drama associated with Bertolt Brecht and
aimed at the intellect rather than the emotions.

i.Bertolt Brecht

V.Theatre Under Totalitarianism

a.Totalitarian Art- The rise of totalitarianism and the outbreak of World
War II in 1939 curtailed the development of European theatre and drama.
Theatrical activity did not cease altogether, but in totalitarian societies –
particularly the Soviet Union under Stalin and Germany under Hitler- government
supported theatres became instruments of propaganda.